Castilleja School Photo #9 - The Class of 2013 is all smiles at the splish-splash party! Who is trustworthy in this process? For more information, please contact the school. The interior of Castilleja School's campus on July 16, 2019. Blogs In this article, Andie Reed states that she's most concerned about the enrollment proposal. I also want to point out that there are underground garages in residential neighborhoods in Palo Alto. Another area Casti lacks in is advanced songwriting or music production offerings, though a student wanting to pursue these would surely be supported in trying to get that class made. Castilleja is the only non-sectarian all-girls middle and high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gennady Sheyner covers the City Hall beat in Palo Alto as well as regional politics, with a special focus on housing and transportation. "It's ridiculous.". While its plans call for increasing student enrollment, the project would actually constitute a reduction in total building area, according to planning staff. TheSixFifty.com Amazing work from Castilleja. Education | Be careful what you wish for neighbors!! Period. The application deadline for Castilleja School is Jan. 9. Mobile site. From that moment on, I was determined to make excellence in single-sex education accessible to as many girls as possible. The 42-year-old was a teacher and the head wrestling coach at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson. The school's new plans include five garage designs, though only three comply with the council's request that underground parking make up no more than 50% of the total spaces on campus. Blogs [citation needed], Castilleja is recognized as the 18th best private high school and the #2 girls high school in the United States by Niche.com in their 2023 rankings. [16], Castilleja is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, and the College Board. Otherwise, they would have to build a smaller structure and pay hundreds of thousands to redesign it to comply with the codes. And because Lew's term is about to conclude and he is not seeking another term, the ultimate decision about whether the new design passes muster could hinge on a board member who has not yet been appointed and who may have other ideas about the building's design. I invite you to explore these pages, to visit our campus, and to learn more about how we are preparing the next generation of women leaders. The projects density isnt relevant, Kauffman said, adding that whats relevant is its impact. You must not be a neighbor. Its ridiculous that this is even being considered. Castilleja has been around before any of the neighbors. While this would require a 14% reduction in the parking requirement, Planning Director Jonathan Lait suggested in a report that staff would be amenable to adjusting the parking requirements, given Castilleja's suite of measures that discourage driving to school. Castilleja has demonstrated that they are consistent and responsible with traffic management. 26 Castilleja School Photo #4 - Freshman are introduced to "blinkie bugs" and other hands-on physics expiraments. Tuition Insurance (optional): $325 The surface parking would be created by shifting the school's swimming pool eastward, moving the pool stairs and eliminating the below-grade ramp that was intended for deliveries and trash pickup. It would occupy about 24,294 square feet, which is 8,186 square feet less than in the original proposal. Even in its revised form, an underground garage has no business being in a residential neighborhood, critics of the project maintained. The average private school tuition in Palo Alto, CA is $29,717 for elementary schools (read more about average. PALO ALTO Castilleja Schools proposed expansion, a sore subject among neighbors who have been fighting it for years, has hit another roadblock. 6th to 12th Grade Tuition & Fees are $54,000. Currently Castilleja pays no property taxes on its prime real estate holdings where the school is located nor do they pay a penny for the public services they receive to this school, I am a former employee of Castilleja and an almost lifelong resident of Palo Alto, and continue to strongly support the school's plans to modernize the aging campus and offer enrollment to more high school students. Nanci Kauffman is Castilleja's sixth Head of School. "We just want to be educating girls," Kauffman said. He and other members of the group Preserve Neighborhood Quality of Life Now (PNQLNow) argued that it is the school and planning staff who are responsible for the process taking so long. It also includes measures that require Castilleja to prove that its transportation measures are effective before it can gradually increase enrollment from the current level of 422 students to 540. Approving Castilleja, which draws 75% of its students from out of town, for EXPANSION--more students, more sq. of students and parents agree that students at this school are competitive. "They just want to have less parking on-site so that they can have a bigger more massive building. One, known as Scheme B, would create a total of 83 spaces and, as such, require a 20% parking reduction, the maximum allowed under the zoning code. These activities, which would be relegated to the underground garage in the original proposal, would now take place in designated loading areas in the Emerson parking lot. for a responsible and inclusive community. The mess resulting from the expansions will represent a major hit to the city's quality of life, particularly for the several thousand residents living in the neighborhoods closest to the school. Education | of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there. While emphasis is March 1, 2023 at 6:20 p.m. St. Ignatius announced Lenny Vandermade as the team's head football coach via a press release on Wednesday. As such, it is "anticipated to have fewer impacts on protected trees and construction-related disturbances," according to a new report from the Department of Planning and Community Environment. Special Pubs The school is currently enrolled at 426 students. I challenge those folks to say that Castilleja's traffic and/or parking impact on the neighborhood right now is even measurable. Don't miss out on the discussion! Blah. Of course schools have to modernize. Why, then, doesn't the school submit plans that comply with existing code? [3][4], Castilleja was founded in 1907 by Mary Ishbel Lockey. Vandermade, a graduate of Mater Dei-Santa Ana and the . It may be limited to public school teachers. There are currently 89 surface parking spaces on campus, see Fehr + Peers report, footnote 5 in the staff report. Let's reduce the pain to all parties, to more quickly get their renovations completed! of students and parents agree that there are plenty of clubs and organizations for students to get involved in. The school's modernization plans have polarized the Professorville and Old Palo Alto neighborhoods, with some residents panning Castilleja's construction plan as a colossal overreach and an affront on the surrounding single-family neighborhood, and others calling a sorely needed upgrade for an acclaimed institution dedicated to educating young women. The faculty consists of approximately 70 full-time and part-time women and men. Both the architectural board and the planning commission plan to hold further meetings on the proposal before it goes back to the council next year for another hearing. And because Lew's term is about to conclude and he is not seeking another term, the ultimate decision about whether the new design passes muster could hinge on a board member who has not yet been appointed and who may have other ideas about the building's design.Lee and Thompson, however, felt that the building is fine the way it is, having already gone through years of refinements and public hearings. With public testimony stretching until nearly midnight, the planning commission deferred its own discussion of Castilleja's plans until Dec. 15. Finding the right school for your child is a major project. It would be great to somehow put both those issues to rest. "If they were to request a 10% enrollment increase, we'd be looking at about 450 students and there's there's sufficient parking on-site for 450. Education | The 7/23/21 Fehr & Peers Castilleja Parking Study commissioned by Castilleja School indicates a parking garage of any size is NOT NECESSARY. Based on recent reviews by an independent consultant, the city determined that Castilleja has an existing gross floor area of 138,345 square feet. [17], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}372620N 1220906W / 37.4388N 122.1517W / 37.4388; -122.1517, Last edited on 30 December 2022, at 00:15, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, National Association of Independent Schools, "As Castilleja plans its expansion, city seeks firm assurances on traffic impacts", "City offers compromise in controversy over Castilleja expansion", "Exclusive Palo Alto school redevelopment plan would cause significant traffic issues, report says", "Council approves Castilleja's expansion plan after years of controversy", "Commerce Secretary Pritzker: On Diversity, Silicon Valley Can Learn From Washington", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Castilleja_School&oldid=1130397858, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 00:15. Education | And what's the obligation of the parents and their hometowns? Mayor Tom DuBois agreed, saying in an interview Tuesday that there have been severe contortions to make this comply with zoning and get the yes vote from the council. "I feel this plan is better than ever because of all the feedback and iteration and response. Home & Real Estate It sounds like this time they have given city boards different choices, and I have to believe that this time there must be one that will finally suffice. Compare Castilleja School to Other Schools. "There are elements of the building that could be cut back and there's the space between that no longer needs access to the cellar," Hirsch said. . A related question to massing of the Kellogg building is Why did the ARB reverse its decision of early this year to approve the Kellogg building design, when NO changes had been made to the design since then? Castilleja School would see its floor area reduce to 128,687 square feet under its revised modernization plan at its Palo Alto campus. People who live on Kellogg have stated at open hearings that they dont want a break in the building there because the building creates an effective barrier between life inside and life outside of campus. "It's just a pusillanimous City Council members and commissions who are allowing this to proceed as if this is good government and it's not," Deborah Goldeen said. [12], In 2007, Castilleja celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding. "We are saving more trees in the newest version and we're actually reducing our footprint," Kauffman said. This plan is not excessive in any way. "Other saw it differently and emphasized the project's impact on everything from groundwater pumping to carbon emissions. He said the planners were putting their thumb on the scale in presenting the parking structure as a basement, a move he described as an insidious attempt to ram the project through. Prior to becoming Head on July 1, 2010, Nanci served as Associate Head of School and Dean of Faculty. I know some people say this is a bad school, but as a 6th grader, trust me, it's the best. Kauffman said she worries that people are choosing not to hear the facts because of something that happened eight years ago.. HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Castilleja Community, This summer, I reignited my fascination with a remarkable womanEleanor Roosevelta true woman learning, woman leading. "We take cars off the street, we save additional trees, we reduce our footprint, we exceed Palo Alto's sustainability goals and we educate more girls.". They knew they were moving into an area near a school when they moved in. Palo Alto backs e-bike ban on Baylands trails, Stanford sues Santa Clara County over tax exemptions for faculty residences, Hit-and-run driver kills man, crashes into five cars Sunday morning, Santa Clara County wants to put millions into child care, California homelessness: Where are the state's billions going? of students and parents agree that clubs and organizations get the funding they need. I just wanted to mention, regarding goal posts, that although all the neighbors don't speak with one voice, because we sit in different positions vis a vis the school and don't have a PR machine, I would say neighbors wish the school would rebuild and modernize, but reconsider the massing. "Barring intergenerational wealth or a very high-earning spouse, I struggle to see how teachers (or most families in the bay area) could afford to live anywhere near Castilleja. Castilleja School. Just a thought! She currently serves on the Boards of Trustees of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), Wagner College in New York City and the Peninsula Bridge organization in San Mateo. No objective person can buy the "no new car trips" and "no new traffic" claims. Two board members, Chair Osma Thompson and Grace Lee said that the previously approved project remains perfectly acceptable. Here, however, the split occurred between the five board members, who were charged with further refining the building's faade. And I say BRING ON the improvements, the modernization, the garage and the carbon-footprint improvements. Because we have lived with the current CUP and how that has been complied with historically, it is a huge leap that just because it will be written that there will be no new trips, that will in fact happen. "They just want to have less parking on-site so that they can have a bigger more massive building. 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